This invention is directed to a seeder monitor and in particular to an apparatus which continuously monitors the state of seed flow in seeding equipment to indicate a malfunction to the operator.
Seeding equipment malfunctions can be caused by a variety of reasons such as a low level of the seed hopper, a loose or broken drive chain, a disengaged drive after headland turning or in loose soil, or a breakdown at any other point in the drive mechanism. Visual detection of these malfunctions by the operator, remote in the tractor cab, is extremely difficult under dusty poor visibility conditions or after dark, especially when multiple unit arrangements are being used. The result of these malfunctions going unnoticed is bare, unseeded patches in the field which are not only expensive in the form of lost productivity but are also embarassing to the farmer's professional pride.
In order to detect malfunctions, the devices presently in use either monitor the flow of seed by optical techniques or they monitor the rotation of the shaft in the seed feed mechanism. The optical techniques are particularly useful with large seed crops such as corn or beans and are found not to be suitable for small seed crops such as wheat, barley, rape and other cereal or oil grain crops due to the differences in seeder equipment construction, and seed size, seed flow rate and the possibility of dust which can cover the sensors. The shaft monitoring techniques provide useful information about the functioning of the seed feed mechanism but do not directly provide information as to the seed flow from the seeding equipment into the soil. Thus an empty seed hopper or the like could go undetected.